Nedumbassery mini cooper crash: Court rejects bail for all four accused
Angamaly: An Angamaly court has dismissed the bail applications of all four accused – Suhail, Ninav, Joel and Ameen – in connection with the tragic road accident on the Nedumbassery Airport Road that claimed the lives of three young individuals.
The fatal crash occurred at around 1.45 am last Sunday at Valappurath on the Nedumbassery Airport Road. The deceased have been identified as Iyaz Ibrahim (21) from Sullia in Dakshina Kannada, Devika (21) from Kalpetta and Gopika (21) from Mannarkkad. All three were employees at an antique shop in Kochi and were returning to Thrikkakara after visiting the airport area. They died on the spot.
The accident took place when a speeding Mini Cooper rammed into the rear of the scooter on which the victims were travelling. Eyewitnesses revealed that immediately following the collision, the occupants of the car argued with local residents, allegedly asking what was wrong with driving fast on the airport road and claiming that the driver's father would handle the matter.
During the bail hearing, the defence argued that Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) charged against the accused would not hold. They asserted that police invoked Section 105 in the initial FIR itself without an eyewitness statement. The defence counsel further submitted that having three individuals on a single scooter posed a risk of losing control, and noted that the prosecution failed to submit evidence regarding the vehicle's speed at the time of the incident. They added that the first accused, Suhail, had no prior criminal record but was being branded a habitual offender.
The defence also argued that the accused did not flee the scene immediately, that public backlash fueled by social media was exaggerating the event, and that passengers (accused two to four) could not be held responsible for failing to stop the driver. They claimed the scene mahazar was being withheld and challenged the lack of CCTV footage submitted thus far.
The prosecution, on the other hand, opposing the bail, argued that the investigation was at a crucial stage and releasing the accused would hinder progress. The prosecutor highlighted that the accused were adults who were heavily intoxicated and well aware that drink-driving poses a severe risk to human life.
Chemical analysis confirmed high levels of alcohol in the first accused's system – 161 mg/dL in blood and 230 mg/dL in urine. The prosecution assured the court that digital evidence, including CCTV footage, would be submitted shortly.
Taking the severity of the offense and the blood-alcohol findings into account, the court denied bail to all four accused.